It's all about the team for Alison Shanks

Shanks in action at the 2010 UCI World Track Championships ©Guy Swarbrick

Nov 21st, 11. Individual glory has moved aside in the hope of Olympic team glory for track Commonwealth Games gold medallist and 2009 World Champion Alison Shanks.

She has been the best in the world at the individual pursuit, but has swapped that event to focus on the team pursuit - the only pursuit to be contested in next year's London Olympics.

The 28 year old will lead the BikeNZ team into their first hit out in eight months at the Oceania Track Championships in Invercargill today.

"It's going to be great to get out there to have the first race of the season and obviously there's also some valuable Olympic qualifying points up for grabs as well," Shanks said.

"For me the Commonwealth Games last year was real closure for the individual pursuit for me at a Games level, although it is still an event at the World Championships and World Cups. "

While the Dunedin rider is the fastest individual pursuiter in the country that does not necessarily correspond in the team pursuit.

"You can't win a medal with one rider in a team pursuit. We are developing a good team with different roles for different riders. The team pursuit is about using everyone's strengths and minimizing the weaknesses and that will give you the fastest ride at the end of the day.

"You have to get three riders across that finish line so there's no point in having one strong rider. It's about developing that team dynamic and finding the best team combination to get the fastest three kilometres."

Shanks said the competition is not just against the Australians this week. There's strong rivalry for the three-strong team pursuit combination to contest next month's UCI World Cup in Colombia, the first opportunity to stake an Olympic claim.

Shanks in team pursuit mode (black helmet) ©Guy Swarbrick

"We all live together during camp and during competition. It's a unique dynamic. You are teammates but you are also competing as individuals against each other. But it seems to work well and we are all aiming for that same common goal of producing an Olympic medal."

Shanks, Hamilton's Jaime Neilsen and Mid-Canterbury's Lauren Ellis will compete in one combination with Te Awamutu's Rushlee Buchanan, Auckland's Kaytee Boyd and Levin's Gemma Dudley in the other.

Australia loom large as a strong opponent today, with two of the combination that finished 5th at the recent World Cup in Astana - two-time Olympian Kate Bates and 2010 World Champion Ashlee Ankudinoff – teaming with the talented Amy Cure.

Today's team pursuit, for both women and men, has Olympic qualifying points on offer and winners will secure an automatic start for their country in next year's all-important World Championships in Melbourne.